Freddie Freeman’s knee issue kept him out of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup again on Friday, marking his second straight missed game after sitting out Wednesday’s series finale against the Cincinnati Reds.
Manager Dave Roberts said Freeman is dealing with right knee soreness, and the Dodgers decided to give him another day to recover.
“Just turf, flight, travel, I think it’s just smart to give him one more day, and then my expectation is he’ll be back in there tomorrow,” Roberts said.
Roberts also said Freeman received treatment on the knee, with the combination of that issue and the usual wear of the schedule factoring into the decision.
“I was hoping he’d be in there today, but the training stuff suggests that he’s down another day, so my expectation is he’ll be in there tomorrow,” Roberts added.
The timing matters because Freeman had already been scuffling before the rest. In September, he’s gone just 3-for-22 (.136) with nine strikeouts and five walks.
Roberts pointed to the knee as part of the reason for that dip.
“Freddie does a really good job of hitting against his front side, and then when you can’t do that with your front side - your right knee - then you’re compromised,” Roberts told reporters, including Dodgers Nation. “I see there’s [been] a lot more swing-and-miss in the last few days. That’s just not who he is.”
At 36, Freeman is carrying the kind of wear that comes with a long season, but the Dodgers won’t be asking much of him physically once he’s back. First base limits the running load, and his mobility demands there are relatively light.
Even with the recent slump, Freeman has still been one of the Dodgers’ most productive hitters this year. He’s batting .297/.375/.453 with an .828 OPS, and when he’s healthy, his swing and approach continue to do the heavy lifting.
In Other News...
Dodgers Quietly Made A Roster Move With Bigger Implications
The Dodgers made a quiet late-season roster move with bigger implications, shifting Eric Lauer from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list after elbow inflammation ended his year. It closes the book on a brief but uneven run for Lauer, who finished with a 5.23 ERA over 22 appearances and now heads into the offseason set to look for a new contract.
More important for Los Angeles, the transaction opened a spot on the 40-man roster for top prospect Josue De Paula, a name Dodgers fans have been tracking closely as the organization continues to juggle immediate depth with future upside. Even for a team that is always thinking several moves ahead, this was the kind of understated roster shift that hints at what may be coming next. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Have Found An Unexpected October Arm After All
The Dodgers spent the summer piecing together pitching depth with October in mind, and Kris Bubic has quietly become a name worth watching. Acquired despite his recent shoulder injuries and limited appearances, the left-hander has started to build a case during a minor-league rehab assignment, where he has turned in five scoreless innings and shown enough life to get into back-to-back games.
For a club that is always looking for one more usable arm when the games get tighter, the timing matters as much as the performance. Los Angeles is already adjusting its postseason plan after Shohei Ohtanis season-ending injury, and Bubics recent stretch at least opens the door to a relief role in the playoff bullpen if the Dodgers decide he is ready for that kind of October trust. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Pitching Picture Just Took An Unexpected Turn
The Dodgers pitching depth chart got a fresh jolt this week, and not in the way the club had hoped. Dave Roberts said Edwin Daz will keep working through his rehab assignment into the weekend, with another outing expected before any return decision is made, which pushes back the timeline a bit for a reliever the club had been eyeing to rejoin the mix.
Roki Sasaki, meanwhile, appears to be moving in the other direction. The right-hander has been on the injured list with a blister, but after bullpen sessions and live batting practice, he may be ready as soon as Sunday, and he is now eligible to be activated. For a Dodgers staff that has already had to adjust its plans, the shifting paths of both pitchers make the next few days worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]